Anybody know the proper grey color to paint the front of a Big Boy boiler? My instructions say aluminium but that doesn’t look right from the photos I’ve seen. Looks like the large rivoted panel below and in front of the cab is the same color. I’ve seen some models where the drivers where grey also but I’ve not seen any real pics to indicate this.
None of the drivers were ever grey, they were filthy to use the proper term. Being the big work horse they were not kept immaculate they just cleaned off the lettering every so often and ran them as much as they could. This group would know many different brands and color codes to get the correct results.
I think the issue is not one of what color but rather of how the color appears.
Your instructions can be correct, paint an aluminum. But, after use, and road dirt, like the other post says, the correct term for the color would be “filth”. The bright aluminum when new and fresh would be bright and shiny. After some “work in” it no longer has its luster, and appears to be a tone of gray instead. Add some india ink wash over your aluminum paint when you weather.
Whatever color one uses or calls it, I like the paint smokebox and the lower firebox panels. It gives the loco some distinction from the ones that are all black.
Look at a bunch of photos and decide what you want. I like black, or at most very dark gray, for my fireboxes and smokeboxes that aren’t insulated and/or sheathed. You may like it looking shop fresh silvery. Either could be “right”.
You might try Arbor mist gray which is what UP currently uses.
Grey will not look right. Use some sort of silver and then weather it to taste.
http://images.spinics.net/rail/2004-9/p9100015.jpg
Here is what I used. I was told that Smokeboxes & Fireboxes were painted Graphite. So I bought 2 bottles of Floquil. (1) bottle of GRAPHITE and (1) bottle of OLD SILVER. If you look at the Graphite it is way to dark. I added OLD SILVER drop by drop to the GRAPHITE till I was able to match the color very close. Then just masked with 3M tape, airbrushed and then with a small brush painted the piping that was sprayed Graphite and Silver.
Scalecoat makes a color called Graphite and Oil which I have used on all my smokeboxes and fireboxes and it matches the UP color well. I have an FEF-3 painted with it.
Rick